When Their Worlds Collided
by FairyLightsAndGlitter
Summary: The story of Luna and Neville: From coming together to falling apart. "Well we're just a girl and a boy right now, Neville. A girl and a boy who fell in love almost two years ago…" Edited and re-uploaded, will be in 3 parts. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

JUNE 24TH 1998:

The sun framed her face perfectly. She was radiant. He'd never understood why people didn't think she was beautiful- the evidence of her beauty was staring him right in the face. He wished he had the confidence to just go and snog her senseless, that was how Ron and Hermione had got together…and Harry and Ginny for that matter.

Neville then took a deep breath and decided to tell her a bit of what he was thinking:

"You're beautiful, Luna. You know that, right?" he said to her, taking her arm gently. She smiled timidly back at him. That was unusual for her, Luna was usually anything but shy.

"That's very nice of you to say, Neville." was her reply as she looked down at her bare feet on the sand.

"I'm not saying it to be nice, Luna. I'm saying it because it's bloody true. You're gorgeous, inside and out. Remember that." Neville sounded almost forceful as he said this. He was surprised at himself and wasn't sure where this confidence had come from.

Luna blushed and looked away. Again, this wasn't normal Luna behaviour. Neville was just about to say something else when suddenly she looked directly at him, her pale eyes staring into his own darker ones. Neither broke the connection for a while, both continued to look at the other. Neville tried to memorise her face. He drank in every feature, from her delicate rosebud mouth to her long but almost invisible eyelashes. Without warning, Luna broke the connection and spoke:

"I think you're beautiful too, Neville Longbottom, everything about you is wonderful and beautiful. You're one of the best people I know. Believe that." He was stunned into silence- she thought he was wonderful and beautiful.

Without planning it, Neville reached for Luna's hand and grasped it in his. She turned to look at him again and without breaking eye contact, she said:

"I'm pleased you did that, Neville. For ages I've wanted to hold your hand just because."

"What do you mean by 'just because'?" Neville asked her.

"Just because we can. Just because we're not running away from darkness, like last year. Just because we're here. Just because we don't need to be, but we are." she smiled up at him again and he squeezed her hand gently.

"Just because we can, I like that." he grinned, before putting his arms around her.

"So do I, Neville." Luna said, standing on tiptoes so as to be as face to face as was possible for the pair. She was small and he was tall.

Neville closed the tiny distance in between them, before lifting her off her feet and gently pressing his lips to hers.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I'm sorry it took me this long to update, it just took me a while to edit the original draft of the chapter into something I could be vaguely satisfied with. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far, I woul;d love some more feedback, though! So whether you loved or hated it, please let me know in a review cause I really want to know if my writing's any good and if people are enjoying this short story. After this chapter, we only have one more to go, so let me know if there are any pairings you'd like me to do something similar with :)**_

JUNE 24th 1999

The pair were walking hand in hand across the sand. Luna was barefoot and would let go of Neville's hand very now and then to paddle in the waves that washed across the sand. Neville couldn't help but stare at her as if in a trance as she did this, her whole presence seeming otherworldly and so, so magical as she smiled contentedly at him before turning back towards the water and smiling to herself as the cool water washed over her foot. Neville just continued to stare at her, captivated by her light. Luna shone. There was no other word to describe her. Everything was illuminated in the dark, and Luna's almost translucent white skin and long fair hair shone brightly as the moonlight hit her. She was shining, there was no other word for it.

"You're staring at me." It wasn't a question, merely a statement.

"I am." Neville replied honestly, smiling at her as she took his hand.

"We always seem to end up on the sand and by the sea." Luna observed as she looked around at their surroundings.

"I guess beaches must be our special place, Luna. I like beaches." was Neville's reply.

"So do I. Did you know that every grain of sand on the beach is the soul of a person from the beyond watching over those on earth?" Luna informed him, her voice as matter-of-fact, yet dreamlike as usual.

"From the beyond? You mean like, dead people?" he was slightly bewildered.

"I suppose I do, but I don't think dead is the right word to describe them. Dead implies stiff, still, gone, never moving forward. I think that those we've lost are still with us, in a way. If someone impacts your life then they pass away, the impression they made will never fade, and neither will the memories."

"So you think they live on in us, kind of?"

"Yes. I think that the essence of a person will always live on in those they left behind. I carry my mother around with me every day, because regardless of her absence, a part of her will always affect how I live life and make decisions. Your parents are still with you, as well. They may not be able to communicate properly, but they love you, and the essence of who they were and are lives on in you, Neville."

People had always claimed that Luna was strange and didn't understand anything completely. It was true that Luna lived in a world where anything was possible, but there was another side to her that people rarely saw. Neville thought that his side to Luna had a far better understanding of the world than so many others and whilst her views might be seen by some as strange, to Neville it all made perfect sense. Luna was incredibly intelligent in more ways than one, it was one of the things Neville loved about her most.

"I love you, Luna Lovegood." It just came out, he hadn't been planning to say it. However, it was the truth, and Neville felt that she may as well know. They'd been together a year now, but those words hadn't come up until that moment.

"I love you too Neville Longbottom."

Neville wrapped his arms tightly around his shining angel and breathed in her scent. She smelt of vanilla and coconut and no other scent made Neville feel dizzy and calm at the same time in the way hers did. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. This kiss wasn't as gentle and sweet as their previous kisses, it was fiercer and more passionate. Luna responded immediately, the same amount of fire on her lips as the pair moved together in perfect harmony.

After a while, the kisses faded into something more gentle, before Neville kissed Luna sweetly on the cheek and lay down on the sand, gazing at the stars. Luna lay next to him and gazed at the constellations as well. Words were not required after their kiss, the kisses had said all that needed to be said. Luna and Neville did not often engage in aimless conversation, they simply spoke only when they had something to say. This was one of the unspoken rules of their relationship.

"The sky is far more beautiful here than it was in Astronomy," Neville observed.

"It's the same sky, Neville. You can just see it differently here. In school it's easy to get distracted by ugly things and so we become used to beauty, so it's all about how we view it really. Of course, muggles say that stars are simply balls of light which will eventually burn themselves out and so are not beautiful or romantic at all…" Luna trailed off, deep in thought.

"But surely everything will burn itself out in the end, that doesn't stop it from being beautiful or special. Everything ends and everything is fragile, but that does not affect its overall beauty." Neville wasn't exactly sure what he meant by this, but in his head it all made perfect sense.

"Exactly. Nothing lasts and nothing is what it seems, but the illusion of beauty is what makes it all worthwhile."

"Is that why you believe in so many things, Luna? In the creatures and stories that are doubted by so many?"

"Sort of, I suppose. Also, we're witches and wizards and if magic can exist in this unfathomable universe, what's to say that other creatures can't? There's also the question as to whether we truly exist unless others know of us, perhaps believing in something makes it so. Either way, I see no reason to not go through life with an open mind, because closing yourself off from things will always only do more harm than good."

And that was all that needed to be said, so the two lay on the sand together in a peaceful and understanding silence.

_**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Please, please, please review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Here it is: the last chapter of my Luna/Neville story! It would make my day of you left me any kind of review, so pretty pretty please... ;)**_

_**I think it goes without saying that I am not JKR and do not own le Potterverse**_

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JUNE 24TH 2000

Luna Lovegood had never pretended to be easy to read, but Neville was finding her harder to decode than ever before. She'd be happy and smiley one minute, then she'd get a faraway look in her eyes, almost like it wasn't Neville she was looking at anymore. Of course, Luna had always been a dreamer, a thinker, a believer of impossible things, but this just seemed different. Scarily so.

It had been two years since he'd first taken the leap and taken her hand on the beach, a lot had changed since then. It wasn't that he didn't find her beautiful or fascinating anymore, as Luna would always be an endless source of beauty and fascination. No, it was more that he just couldn't view her as he once had and that made him sad. She was still Luna, but she wasn't his Luna anymore and he didn't know how or if he'd get his Luna back.

As Neville struggled over the words he couldn't quite say, he looked around at his surroundings. It was a beautiful day and the pair were wandering through a forest. It was the kind of summer's day that made one believe all was right with the world in terms of warmth and the beauty of nature. Neville couldn't help but notice the way Luna's hair shone in the sun. She looked a bit like the fairy princess of muggle children's tales. A fairy. That was a good way of describing Luna. She was beautiful and magical in the literal rather than technical sense- almost otherworldly; far too alive and incredible to belong on this earth. At times, Luna looked ready to grow wings and take flight, ready for new adventures, ready to share her radiance with the world and universe. At times, Neville had a feeling that he'd had his share of Luna and now the universe wanted its fairy back.

Eventually, the two reached their favourite part of the woods: the clearing. It was peaceful there and completely empty of all other humans. Neville noted with surprise that they'd completed the entire trek in silence, with next to no hand holding. Usually they'd exchange at least a few words: often Luna commenting on a certain animal or leaf, whilst picking wildflowers and casually placing them in her fairy hair.

Once both had seated themselves in the sunny patch in the middle of the clearing, Neville felt incredibly nervous. He just had a feeling that this was it, that this was where things would be either repaired or broken. Unfortunately, Neville was pretty certain it would be the latter…

"It's a very pretty day, isn't it? So still, yet so alive…" remarked Luna, speaking first.

"Yes, it's great to have the sun back. I was worried the rain would last forever." Neville was using small talk, which was something he and Luna never did. If it was a comment about the weather with Luna, it always had a purpose or some metaphorical meaning. Luna never spoke unless she had something to say. Neville, however, always babbled about the weather or something when he was nervous. Luna was able to read him like a well known storybook.

"Neville, we don't do small talk and you know that. Go on, tell me what you're thinking," she said with a gentle smile and a reassuring squeeze of his hand.

Neville looked deep into her silvery blue eyes and took a deep breath. It was time to talk.

"What are we now, Luna? Everything's changed in the last few months and nothing's the same as it was with us. Why is that and what are we?" Neville looked at her properly as he said this, she looked like she'd been expecting those words exactly.

"Well, we're just a girl and a boy right now, Neville. A girl and a boy who fell in love almost two years ago… A boy who helped shape the world with his goodness and bravery and who deserves to be given everything… and a girl who wants to give him everything but just can't for some reason…" Luna said this in her usual dreamy and matter-of-fact way, despite the weight of what she was saying. Her eyes betrayed the sadness she felt as she spoke the words. Neville picked up where she'd left off:

"You will always be the girl who taught me about living with loss and not being afraid, but you're also the girl who has wings and whose stay in my world has always had a time limit, and that's okay. I get it Luna, I really do. You're not the sort of person who can be defined in any way, nor are you the sort of person who can be tied down in any way; at least not for a long time yet. I understand and it's okay." Neville smiled at her gently, as her large eyes filled with tears at his words. He was surprised by how easily he'd found the words. Words were not his strong point and never had been. He was also surprised by the truth in his words- Luna couldn't be tied down to anything or to anyone for too long and he'd been no exception. This didn't make him feel bitter though, it made him feel privileged to have been given years of his fairy's time.

"I do love you, though Neville. It isn't your fault that it just became a different kind of love, it's mine." Luna practically whispered through her silent tears.

"It's no one's fault, Luna. It's just the way we are and that's okay." he told her, putting an arm around her. He realised that it was okay, as well. It was all going to be okay.

"You're going to make someone so unbelievably happy someday, Neville Longbottom, and that person will love you with the kind of love you deserve- I'm just sorry it couldn't be me." she stated with a smile, the last sentence far quieter.

"And someday you'll find someone who's able to fly around with you, Luna. Someone who can give you the adventure and excitement you need. Someone you'll be able to give your everything."

Neville and Luna sat in a contented silence for a while, his arms around her and her head on his shoulder. Everything was going to be okay now. Luna was free to fly and Neville no longer felt there was something missing. It would all be okay.

Eventually, the pair got up and walked back though the forest. They were arm in arm. Unlike on the way to the clearing, they were talking in the way they hadn't in a long time. Luna was almost bouncing along, flowers in her hair and a dreamlike smile on her face. Although Neville expected to simply be upset that their relationship was over, he felt more cheerful and relieved than anything else- his Luna had returned.

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